Historic Evergreen Cemetery Tour

Description

PRESS RELEASE HISTORIC EVERGREEN CEMETERY TOUR Contact: John Steinle 720-497-7650 jsteinle@jeffco.us Civil War soldiers ? ranchers ?pioneer women ?town founders ? and, according to legend, horse thieves ? all are buried in the secluded Evergreen Cemetery, and you can enjoy a guided tour of this historic spot on Saturday, June 27, 2009 beginning at 2:00 P.M. The tour will be led by historian and Trustee of the Bear Creek Cemetery Association, Hank Alderfer, with the assistance of John Kirkpatrick. The fee for the tour is $5 per person, which will be a donation to the Jefferson County Historical Society. Among those buried at the Cemetery are Dwight Wilmot, who named Evergreen; Amos Post, who started the general store that became a nucleus for the local community; and the Dedisse family, early French settlers who owned much of the land now covered by Evergreen Lake and Dedisse Park. Other important local families buried in the Cemetery include the Halls, Antweilers, Malletts, Christensens, Schneiders, LeMasters, and many others. The Cemetery marks the original site of St. Mark?s In The Wilderness Episcopal Church, which was later moved down the hill, became a Methodist Church, and eventually was incorporated into part of the building now occupied by the famous Little Bear bar and restaurant. Participants in the tour can arrive just before 2 P.M. on June 27 at the Cemetery, which is located off Highway 74 (Evergreen Parkway), Evergreen, next to Christ the King Catholic Church at 4291 Evergreen Parkway. Driving through the main gate, they can turn left at the creek and then park. They will receive a handout map showing the location of the family plots during the tour. This presentation is part of the 150th anniversary celebration this year of the first settlers moving into the area of Bergen Park, Evergreen, and Conifer. Hiwan Homestead Museum is a 17-room log mansion constructed in the Rustic style of architecture. It is located in Evergreen at 4208 S. Timbervale Drive and is a Jefferson County Open Space facility operated through a partnership with the Jefferson County Historical Society. The Museum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. For more information call the Museum at 720-497-7650.